Golfer Dicky Pride Enjoying Best Season in Three Decades

Dicky Pride’s had more than his fair share of health issues.

Gall bladder pancreatitis. Torn ligaments in his thumb. Torn meniscus in his knee.

The 54-year-old former University of Alabama golfer and current pro on the Champions Tour isn’t slowing down though.

Why would he? He’s having the best seasons of his three-decade career. Pride has three top-5 finishes and seven top-10 finishes and is 16th on the Charles Schwab money list and 18th in the Cup standings.

So, what’s changed?

“At the end of last year, I was as heavy as I’ve ever been,” Pride said. “My wife looked at me and said, ‘You have no idea how much food you’ve been eating.’ I really changed my eating habits to a lot smaller portions.

“It’s amazing how little food you need to function. It’s also amazing how much I enjoy eating.”

The diet change is a big part of the turnaround. Consistency is the other half of the equation.

Pride hits the practice range every day with his wedges and works on his short game. It’s made a huge difference with his scoring.

He’s averaging under-par scoring on par-3s, par-4s and par-5s this year.

“I’ve gone from being up and down to giving myself some birdie putts when I have a wedge in my hand almost every time,” Pride said.

Those top-4 finishes could have easily been victories. He finished every final round under par, but others were just better that day. Pride is ranked 10th on the Tour in final round scoring.

Pride’s played in 739 pro events, including 478 PGA Tour tournaments, and has just one win to his resume. That came in 1994, his second year as a pro.

It’s still been a satisfying career in a sport that keeps him coming back for more.

“What I really enjoy more than anything is seeing if I can pull off the shot, whether it’s a drive or a bunker shot, a 7-iron, a wedge, a putt or whatever,” Pride said. “The sheer love of competition and being in the middle of things is what I love about the game.”

Pride’s approach to golf is a bit different these days. About 20 years ago, he got a major health scare. He developed a gallstone in his pancreatic duct. He needed surgery for pancreatitis.

“the doctor was wheeling me into surgery, and he says, ‘OK, I’m going to tell you straight up, you’ve got a 50-50 chance of surviving this.’ That will change your perspective real quick.”

Pride had his gall bladder removed and got back to his pro career. It’s a big part of his life, but it’s not the most important.

“I used to get mad when a five-footer lipped out,” Pride said. “Now it’s like, ‘well that sucks, but let’s move on.’”

With the success Pride has had on the Champions Tour, he’s primed for a bigger year in 2024.

“This year is going to give me lots of opportunities next year,” he said. “I’ll have the opportunity to choose which tournaments I want to play. Having down time and getting rest is really important the older you get.”